Poll: Canada crisis benefits Conservatives

OTTAWA, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- The political crisis that shut down Canada's Parliament benefited the governing minority Conservative government in poll results published Friday.

A Strategic Counsel poll done for The Globe and Mail newspaper indicated the Conservative Party remains at the top of the standings with 45 percent support if an election were now. The Liberals were behind in second place at 24 percent and the socialist New Democratic Party at 14 percent.

The national poll had a 3.1-percentage-point margin of error.

An Ipsos-Reid poll conducted for the Canwest News Service found 46 percent support for the Conservatives, 10 percent higher than before October's federal election. A party official who asked not to be identified said the party's own polls were showing similar results.

The Liberals, NDP and separatist Bloc Quebecois formed a coalition last weekend with the goal of voting down Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government based on its vagueness in dealing with the global economic crisis.

Thursday, Harper sought and won a suspension of Parliament from Governor General Michaelle Jean until Jan. 26. Afterward, Harper called for less political posturing and more cooperation among the four parties to get a budget in place for Jan. 27, which would be the quickest time in Canadian history for any governing party.